A Woven Web of Lies
by Emberclaw2013
Summary: Two ShadowClan kits go exploring and bite off more than they can chew when a fox chases them but when some ThunderClan warriors save them the kits realise that ThunderClan aren't as evil as they were taught to believe. Their lives change, leading to one of them breaking the Warrior Code and the other's dreams of leadership being crushed. But is it really the end or just the start?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Warriors is not mine...

This started out as my first Challenge for DarkClan, but I decided to continue it as a story. The Prologue sets up the whole story, which then continues from when the kits become apprentices.

Allegiances are next chapter.

* * *

**Prologue**

A soft breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby pine trees. There was a strong scent of danger in the air, hanging off every bush, draped over every twig. But the two ShadowClan kits were ignorant of this. All they knew was they were out of camp and exploring.

"Hey, Duskkit! Look at this!" the pale brown tabby kit squeaked in excitement.

"What?" Duskkit, a darker brown tabby kit, padded over to his sister. He peered over his sister's shoulder. "It's just a beetle, Dawnkit," he scoffed, staring down at the large, moving black dot as it crept over a leaf.

Dawnkit made a face at her brother. "Well, I-" she began but froze when a low snarling noise sounded behind them. "W-what was that?" she whispered, her green eyes glowing with fear.

"The w-wind?" Duskkit suggested hopefully. The kits turned to see a reddish animal the size of a cat with a long snout glaring at them with beady black eyes. It took a step towards them, revealing pointed teeth as it snarled again.

"S-should we run?" Dawnkit whimpered in her brother's ear.

The reddish animal suddenly shot towards them, malice shining in its eye.

"Run!" Duskkit yowled and both kits turned to flee, blundering through the undergrowth. They had no idea where they were going, only that they had to run. Thorns dragged at their pelts and the animal's hot breath drenched their terror-spiked fur.

Suddenly, a battle cry sounded and the kits could no longer hear the animal behind them.

"Leave them along, mange-pelt!" an unfamiliar voice hissed in anger. Shocked, the kits stumbled to a halt and turned round to see a grey warrior fighting the reddish animal.

"Wow," Duskkit breathed. The fighting animals were a whirl of grey and red fur as they rolled around the forest floor.

"He must be so brave to fight that animal," Dawnkit nodded in amazement, her eyes wide, her heart still thumping hard in her tiny chest.

Soon, two more unfamiliar warriors that smelt strange appeared on the scene and joined the first cat in attacking the cat. Together, the three warriors drove the animal away with a perfect combination of muscles and claws.

"That's it, run away you coward!" jeered a cat with a black pelt and flashing amber eyes.

"Who are they?" Duskkit wondered in awe as the warriors turned back to the kits.

"What do you think you were doing?" the one with the grey pelt hissed at the kits, who were surprised at the angry tone.

"W-we w-were ju-just..." Duskkit stuttered before the black-pelted cat shot him a kindly look.

"Relax, Stonetail, they're just kits and they had a big scare," the black cat meowed.

Stonetail shot him a glare. "They're ShadowClan kits," he muttered.

"I'm Nightclaw and this-" he indicated the third cat, a grey tabby, with his tail – "is Lapstone. We are warriors of ThunderClan," he explained.

"Thunderclan!" Dawnkit echoed, gazing up at them in fear. "B-but you're evil!"

Nightclaw gave an amused '_mrrrrow_'. "We're not evil, little ones. That's just what your Clan want you to think."

"What were you doing so close to the ThunderClan border anyway? Does ShadowClan let its kits wander their territory freely?" asked the third cat, Lapstone. Her voice was soft but her eyes were hard, and Duskkit stared at his paws.

"Shakestar said we could go outside with our mother if we didn't go far, but she kept telling us off for touching things like twigs and stalking beetles, so we sneaked away when her back was turned," he explained, sounding ashamed.

Dawnkit took up the tail next, "We didn't know where the borders were or what ThunderClan smelt like. We saw the Thunderpath though, but then that animal started chasing us, and here we are," she finished, trembling out of tiredness.

"That animal was a fox," Nightclaw told her. "They are especially dangerous to kits and would have eaten you if we hadn't been there. We'll take you home now, you've had a tiring experience. Come on," he meowed in a kindly voice and picked up Duskkit, leaving Lapstone to pick up Dawnkit.

As the warriors carried them, Dawnkit felt safe and sleepy, but before she closed her eyes she thought she heard Stonetail mutter, "This is why kits should stay in the nursery. Otherwise they cause a lot of trouble."

* * *

**A/N: **So yeah, I hoped you liked it and are encouraged to review!

Also, thanks to jayfeather12345 for giving me the idea.


	2. A Long First Day

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Warriors

I have only put ShadowClan's Allegiances because they are the main Clan, but I may post ThunderClan a bit later. Also, I put Duskpaw and Dawnpaw as apprentices because their apprentice ceremony is at the beginning of this chapter.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Allegiances:**

**SHADOWCLAN:**

**LEADER:**

Shakestar (M)

_Brown and white patched tom with green eyes and a tail that 'shakes' whenever he gets annoyed, mate of Petalcloud_

**DEPUTY:**

Shadedstone (M)

_Black and gray long-haired tom with blue eyes_

**MEDICINE CAT:**

Yarrowleaf (F)

_White she-cat with bright green eyes, sister to Whitepool_

**WARRIORS:**

Petalcloud (F)

_Cream she-cat with white 'cloud' patches and yellow eyes, mate of Shakestar_

Prickleclaw (M)

_Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, mate to Rainsplash and father of Duskpaw and Dawnpaw_

Jaggedpelt (M)

_Strong black tom with a patch of fur missing on his shoulder and an ugly scar, dark blue eyes, often thought to be Marshscar's brother_

Marshscar (M)

_Sturdy brown tom laced with battle scars, muddy brown eyes, often thought to be Jaggedpelt's brother_

Badgerpelt (M) – Duskpaw

_Black tom with white badger-like markings and brown eyes_

Fogpelt (M)

_Short-haired gray tom with yellow eyes, brother of Rainsplash and mate to Mottletail, father of Owlkit, Maplekit and Tawnykit_

Rainsplash (F)

_Fluffy gray she-cat with green eyes, sister of Fogpelt, mate to Prickleclaw and mother of Duskpaw and Dawnpaw_

Whitepool (F)

_White she-cat with bright blue eyes, sister to Yarrowleaf_

Fawndapple (F)

_Pretty mottled brown she-cat with amber eyes_

Ravenflight (F)

_Black she-cat with a splash of white on her chest, a thick tail and green eyes_

Fleckfur (M) – Dawnpaw

_Thick-furred gray tom with a few darker gray flecks dusting his pelt and dark green eyes_

**APPRENTICES:**

Acornpaw (M)

_Pale, golden brown tabby tom with honey-brown eyes, son of Vixentail _

Duskpaw (M)

_Dark tabby tom with green eyes, brother of Dawnpaw and son of Rainsplash and Prickleclaw_

Dawnpaw (F)

_Fluffy, pale brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, sister of Duskpaw and daughter of Rainsplash and Prickleclaw_

**QUEENS/KITS:**

Mottletail - Owlkit (M), Maplekit (F), Tawnykit

_Calico she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Fogpelt's kits_

Vixentail

_Reddish she-cat with a busy, white-tipped tail and sharp golden eyes, mother of Acornpaw and expecting kits_

**ELDERS:**

Deerstep (F)

_Frail brown she-cat with amber eyes_

Ferretfur (M)

_Brown tabby tom with brown eyes, father of Vixentail_

* * *

**Chapter One**

**~ A Long First Day ~**

"Duskkit, Dawnkit, it's time to wake up," the familiar voice of their mother called the two kits from their nest.

Duskkit yawned loudly and stretched, his paws poking into his sister's side. She gave a surprised yelp and rolled out of the nest to get away from him, getting her fur all dusty while doing so.

"Duskkit," Dawnkit complained as she opened her eyes. "Look what you did!"

Duskkit blinked sleepily and got to his paws. He stared at his sister for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "You look like a dust ball!"

Dawnkit glared at him. "Mother, Duskkit's laughing at me! And he got me all dusty!" she wailed.

Rainsplash smiled fondly at her kits. "Come here Dawnkit, I'll help you tidy yourself up. I'm sure Duskkit didn't mean to push you into the dust." She looked sternly at the young, dark brown tabby tom who returned her look with an innocent stare.

"An accident," he repeated.

Just then the kit's father poked his head inside the ShadowClan nursery. "Shakestar is just about to call the Clan to gather in the clearing – are the kits ready?" he asked Rainsplash.

"Prickleclaw!" Duskkit ran up to his father and bounced around his paws in excitement. "Do you know who our mentors are going to be yet?"

Prickleclaw glanced down at his kit. The young tom looked like a younger copy of him but sported his mother's green eyes instead of his father's amber ones, which Dawnkit had inherited. "You'll find out soon enough," he purred, bending down to lick down a tuft of fur that was sticking up on Duskkit's head.

Duskkit wriggled away from him in disgust only to be pounced on by Rainsplash who had finished grooming Dawnkit. "Aww, come on! I can do it myself, I'm not a kit anymore!"

"You will always be my kit," Rainsplash told him, her mew coming out slightly muffled. Dawnkit watched in amusement as her brother struggled until Prickleclaw interrupted them.

"You both look wonderful," he meowed proudly as his mate finally released Duskkit.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting," Shakestar's yowl rang out, making both kits jump nervously.

"Come on," Prickleclaw led his family out into the clearing with his tail held high and his chest fur puffed out.

Duskkit and Dawnkit bounced after their father, excited. "Wow, it looks like the whole Clan is here to watch us become apprentices!" Dawnkit breathed, slightly daunted by everyone's eyes on her.

"Today is a special day, for two of our kits have reached their sixth moon, and will finally give Acornpaw some company in the apprentice den."

Dawnkit looked up at the tall tree where the ShadowClan leader, Shakestar, sat on one of the lowest branches. He always sat there, on the Highbranch, to address the Clan. Her mother had told her it was so he could look over the whole Clan. She felt her paws twitch as she wondered what it would be like to sit up there and look down over the whole Clan.

"Duskkit and Dawnkit, please step forward," Shakestar continued. Feeling herself begin to tremble with anticipation, Dawnkit followed her brother forward, gazing up at Shakestar with wide eyes. "Duskkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Duskpaw. Your mentor will be Badgerpelt. I know he will pass on all he knows to you." Shakestar transferred his gaze from Duskpaw to the black and white-striped warrior he had just named. Duskpaw whirled around to face his mentor. "Badgerpelt, you are ready to take on another apprentice after mentoring Fawndapple so well. You received excellent training from Marshscar and have shown yourself to be strong and wise. You will be the mentor of Duskpaw, and I trust that you will pass all your knowledge on to Duskpaw." Shakestar watched as Badgerpelt stepped forward to touch noses with Duskpaw. Dawnkit glanced over at her parents, and saw them ready to burst with pride, with both of their chests puffed out and their head heads held high.

"Dawnkit," Shakestar's voice brought the pale brown tabby she-kit's attention back to him, "from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dawnpaw. Your mentor will be Fleckfur. I know he will pass on all he knows to you." _Fleckfur, wow,_ Dawnpaw thought as she turned and scanned her Clanmates until a thick-furred gray tom with a few darker gray flecks dotting his pelt stepped forward. Happiness mixed with pride shone in his dark green eyes. _I hope he likes me..._

"Fleckfur, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Jaggedclaw and have shown yourself to be determined and strong of spirit. You will be the mentor of Dawnpaw, and I trust that you will pass all your knowledge and experience on to Dawnpaw," Shakestar finished. Dawnpaw was barely aware of the surprised muttering that had sprung up throughout the Clan.

Fleckfur padded forward until he came to stand in front of Dawnpaw. She stared up at him with large eyes. For a moment he just returned her gaze as if evaluating her, but then he blinked at her kindly and bent his head to touch her nose with his own. As they parted, Dawnpaw heard the Clan burst into cheers.

"Duskpaw, Dawnpaw, Duskpaw, Dawnpaw, Duskpaw, Dawnpaw," they chanted, and Dawnpaw thought she would burst with happiness. She sat down next to her brother, basking in all the attention, until a voice in her ear interrupted her moment of joy.

"You won't become a warrior by sitting around all day you know," Fleckfur murmured.

Dawnpaw glanced at her mentor, only half listening to him as the cheering died away and cats began returning to their duties. "I know, I was just enjoying the moment," she told him.

Fleckfur took a step back and gazed at her levelly. "In battle if you defeat one opponent and then take even a second to just enjoy your victory, you would be leaving yourself open to attack and will most likely be defeated yourself." He began walking towards the camp entrance, flicking his tail at his new apprentice to follow him.

Forgetting everything else, Dawnpaw trotted after him, her curiosity piqued.

"Hey, Dawnpaw, aren't you going to come and look at our new den?" Duskpaw jumped in front of her, excitement shining in his eyes.

Rainsplash and Prickleclaw approached her then. "We're so proud of both of you, we know you're going to train as hard as you can to become the best warriors you can be," Prickleclaw told them proudly. Rainsplash nodded in agreement.

"You both have wonderful mentors," their mother added, giving Dawnpaw a lick on the cheek. Dawnpaw glanced over her shoulder to see Fleckfur waiting for her by the entrance to camp.

Prickleclaw followed her gaze. "Yes, Fleckfur's a fine cat," he meowed, slightly stiffly. Dawnpaw glanced at her father who was staring at her mentor with dislike lingering in his eyes. Fleckfur looked back at her father calmly. She narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of interest rise within her. There was something going on between the two cats and she determined to find out what.

"Come on Dawnpaw, let's go and check out the den," Duskpaw called again, nudging her with his nose.

"But-" Dawnpaw looked back at Fleckfur, who flicked his tail at her once more.

"We'll see you later, Shadedstone wants us for a patrol," Prickleclaw and Rainsplash said goodbye to their kits and trotted away towards the ShadowClan deputy, leaving Duskpaw and Dawnpaw alone.

Before Dawnpaw could explain to her brother that her mentor was waiting for her the only other apprentice, Acornpaw, padded over to them.

"Hey, you two," he called.

"Hey Acornpaw!" Duskpaw replied enthusiastically. "There is space for us in the den, right?" he checked, a slight hint of worry suddenly glimmering in his eyes. Dawnpaw rolled her eyes, but before she could tell him to stop being so mousebrained, Acornpaw stepped in.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. With me being the only apprentice in the Clan for two whole moons the den had to be shrunk, and so until be expand it again you two are going to have to sleep in the Elder's den," he told them with a serious expression on his face.

Forgetting all about her waiting mentor, Dawnpaw laughed as Duskpaw's expression fell and his tail drooped, believing the older apprentice's every word. Acornpaw glanced at Dawnpaw, surprised that Duskpaw had believed him so easily. Dawnpaw shrugged and whispered, "He's very gullible." To her brother, she added, "So I'll see you in the Elder's den tonight then?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Duskpaw sighed, but perked up again when Badgerpelt called for him.

Acornpaw and Dawnpaw watched Duskpaw bound over the clearing to his mentor in amusement.

"He won't last a moon," Acornpaw commented.

Dawnpaw nodded. "Agreed," she grinned.

Acornpaw glanced at her, his eyes twinkling. "But you won't even last a quarter moon."

Dawnpaw gaped at him. "What? Why?"

"Because you've got Fleckfur for a mentor," Acornpaw began to pad away, "and keeping him waiting is a very bad idea," he called over his shoulder.

Dawnpaw stared after him, wondering what he meant.

"Dawnpaw?" a soft voice called to her from the entrance to camp and she whirled around to see Fleckfur still waiting for her. Slapping her tail over her eyes in horror, she groaned.

"I'm so sorry Fleckfur, my parents wanted to talk to me and then my brother wanted me to come and see the den and..." Dawnpaw cried, dashing over to him, stumbling over her own paws in her haste to reach him.

"Enough," was all Fleckfur said when she reached him.

"And then Acornpaw – wait, what?" Dawnpaw paused, her ears pricked in surprise.

Fleckfur simply turned around and disappeared out of camp, leaving Dawnpaw running to catch him up.

* * *

Dawnpaw was gasping for breath by the time she reached the clearing in the middle of the pine forest where Fleckfur had stopped, not even slightly out of breath.

"A distracted warrior is a dead warrior, Dawnpaw," Fleckfur meowed as she flopped down on the ground, ignoring the twigs sticking into her. "And an unprepared warrior may as well give up before the battle had begun."

Dawnpaw stared at Fleckfur. He didn't seem to care that she was out of breath and exhausted from all of the running.

Fleckfur sat down in the middle of the small clearing which was edged by tall pine trees and sparse undergrowth. He curled his tail around his paws. "I don't want excuses. The past is the past, it is the present and the future that needs to be focused on. Now, tell me what you see."

Dawnpaw pushed herself to her paws. "But I need to catch my breath," she whined, placing a paw on the ground and yelping when she trod on a sharp stick. "Owww! Ow, that hurt!"

Fleckfur didn't even blink. "In the time it takes you to catch your breath, a warrior could have leaped out of the trees and knocked you out with one blow, and in the time you took to complain about stepping on a twig you could be dead."

Dawnpaw stared at her mentor in disbelief.

"Now, tell me what you see," Fleckfur repeated in a firm voice.

Dawnpaw sighed and looked around. This was going to be a long first day.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading, and I would really appreciate some feedback - e.g. what did you think of Fleckfur?

If you have a problem with any of the names then feel free to tell me, but I have thought out each pf their names so be prepared for me to defend them.


End file.
